When Achievement Becomes A Trap

When Achievement Becomes A Trap

You can believe in grace and still live as though God is disappointed in you. In this episode, Scott Sauls reflects on the hidden equation many Christians carry: God’s love equals Jesus plus our current spiritual and moral performance. Through the story of Peter in Luke 5, the ache beneath achievement, and the difference between forgiveness and mercy, Scott considers why grace can feel unsafe to receive and why Jesus moves toward us when shame tells us to pull away. For anyone who has confused usefulness with lovability, or who feels tired from trying to become enough, this episode offers a thoughtful and honest reminder: God’s mercy does not wait for us to become presentable. It meets us where we are most afraid to be known. Links: The Mercy King: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/243610949-the-mercy-king?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=Ffs0dWk8OZ&rank=1 [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/243610949-the-mercy-king?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=Ffs0dWk8OZ&rank=1]Website: http://scottsauls.com [http://scottsauls.com]Essays: http://scottsauls.substack.com [http://scottsauls.substack.com]Socials: https://linktr.ee/scottsauls [https://linktr.ee/scottsauls]

God Is Not Offended By Your Anger

What should you do when your prayer is not calm, composed, or polite, but angry? In this episode, Scott Sauls looks at Habakkuk, C.S. Lewis, Job, the Psalms, and Martin Luther to explore whether anger toward God is always a sign of weak faith. Scripture is far more honest about complaint, grief, protest, and unanswered questions than many church cultures have allowed. Angry prayer may not be the death of faith. It may be one of the clearest signs that you are still in the conversation with God. If you have ever wondered whether God can handle your honesty, this episode is for you. Key Scriptures: Habakkuk 1:2-4, Habakkuk 2:1-4, Habakkuk 3:17-18 References: C.S. Lewis, A Grief Observed; Martin Luther's prayers from 1525 LINKS: The Mercy King: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/243610949-the-mercy-king [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/243610949-the-mercy-king] Website: http://scottsauls.com [http://scottsauls.com] Essays: http://scottsauls.substack.com [http://scottsauls.substack.com] Socials: https://linktr.ee/scottsauls [https://linktr.ee/scottsauls]

When Life Hurts and God Feels Silent

In this episode, Scott Sauls reflects on John 11, the death of Lazarus, and Jesus’ stunning promise to Martha: “I am the resurrection and the life.” Drawing from Elie Wiesel’s Night, Tim Keller’s preaching after September 11, and C.S. Lewis’s The Great Divorce, this episode explores the difference between mere consolation and true Christian resurrection hope. When suffering, grief, unanswered prayer, and God’s silence threaten faith, Jesus does not offer sentimental escape. He enters our sorrow, weeps with us, and promises restoration through his cross and empty tomb. VIDEOS: https://linktr.ee/scottsauls [https://linktr.ee/scottsauls]

When Your Worst Mistake Becomes Your Identity

In this episode, Scott Sauls explores the difference between guilt and shame through The Scarlet Letter, Genesis 3, Brené Brown, Brennan Manning, and the mercy of Jesus. Shame says, “I am something bad,” and it drives us to cover, hide, and fear being fully known. But from Eden to the cross, Scripture tells a better story: we cover ourselves badly, but God covers us truly. If you have carried a scarlet letter of your own, this episode offers a gospel-centered reminder that in Christ, you are fully known, fully loved, and no longer left hiding. ADDITIONAL LINKS: The Mercy King: https://tinyurl.com/3prx4wp3 Website: https://linktr.ee/scottsauls [https://linktr.ee/scottsauls]

My Most Personal Book So Far

In this episode, Scott Sauls shares personally about struggles like perfectionism, drivenness, shame, and the exhausting attempt to find worth through achievement. He also shares the invitation Jesus gives to every overextended, over-functioning heart: to stop striving for an approval that has already been freely given. Drawing from Psalm 23, Luke 15, and themes from his newest book, The Mercy King, this episode is for anyone who has succeeded and still felt empty, failed and wondered if God was disappointed, or carried shame while struggling to receive grace. The good news is not that we finally run hard enough toward God. It is that his goodness and mercy have been pursuing us all along.